


In the Endgame Now

by RedCoatsRedder



Series: The Life of a Cloak and a Sorcerer [12]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fluff, I Made Myself Cry, Irondad, Other, Pain, Tears, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 07:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCoatsRedder/pseuds/RedCoatsRedder
Summary: So what did happen to the Cloak and Stephen after the Snap? How did the Cloak feel throughout Endgame? Let's find out.*MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS*





	In the Endgame Now

The Cloak had a consciousness. Of course it did- it was sentient, after all. But while it felt happiness, sorrow, pain, love, fear, hope, and all sorts of very human emotions, it wasn’t exactly like a human.

 

While it could enter a state that was very, very similar to sleep, it wasn’t actually required. More like a way to pass the time. It had done it many a time in the glass case at the Sanctum before it had met its sorcerer.

 

It also couldn’t really die, per se. It could be damaged beyond any sort of repair, until its consciousness was nothing more than a few flickers, like an old lightbulb. But that took a great deal of strength, such as the power of the Infinity Stones, had they been used to rip and tear and shred.

 

But the way Thanos had used them, painlessly eliminating half of the universe, wasn’t enough to hurt it.

 

After Stephen’s body had floated away to ashes on the wind, and they’d both disappeared, it was very dark and silent. Oppressively so. The Cloak got the distinct feeling that they were rising through something.

 

An indeterminable amount of time later, they broke the surface of… something. It was like water, but not wet. It wasn’t exactly liquid, nor was it solid or gas. This place was somehow both dark and light, everything and nothing, tiny yet infinite, at the same time.

 

Stephen’s eyes were closed. His pulse was gone, and he was utterly, completely, still. The Cloak curled closer to its sorcerer. It felt sadness like it had never known, as though a fundamental part of it was missing. And, indeed, it was.

 

The human it loved most in the world was lost to it. He was lying there, and yet, he wasn’t. This place was made of contradiction.

 

It placed two of its corners over Stephen’s heart, and patted his cheek with its collar. Satisfied that they would be alright in this odd place, it let itself sink into its sleep- state. The final comforting thought that it had was the knowledge that Stephen had had a plan, that this would all unfold. The Cloak knew it too, but it was hard to believe that when its sorcerer was lying dead.

 

It woke up approximately twice in the entire time they spent in the strange void. Once was about six months after the Snap.

 

It had just had a nightmare. One where Stephen was hurt, bleeding out on the ground in front of an indiscernible enemy. He was literally curled in a pool of his own blood, and the Cloak couldn’t get to him in time.

 

_A shadowy figure was standing over Stephen, who was curled on his side. Blood streaked his face from a cut on his forehead, his blue robes were stained dark in the area of his stomach, where a shimmering blade was stuck. One of his arms was dislocated, and it looked like a few ribs might be broken, as the sorcerer whimpered slightly when he drew breath._

 

_His face was turned towards the Cloak, and his eyes were wide with fear. The shadowy enemy kicked Stephen, who let out a scream. There was a distinct snapping sound. If he didn’t have any broken ribs before, he did now._

 

_The figure leaned down and yanked the blade out of Stephen’s stomach. The man gasped, and the dark stain grew wetter and larger. The Cloak fought against whatever force was holding it back, but it couldn’t break free._

 

_Stephen let out a final whimper, and looked at the Cloak. It seemed as though he was trying to say something, but couldn’t. His eyes closed and his body went limp._

 

The Cloak woke up in the strange void. It was still curled around Stephen, who was just as still as he’d been in the dream. At least there was no blood, there was no blade, and no enemy.

 

But there was also no Stephen to comfort the Cloak. It wormed a corner into the sorcerer’s hand, and sank back into its sleep.

 

…

 

Four years and six months later, the Cloak woke up again. This time, it woke up to see the dusty, crumbled landscape of the planet Titan. And it was settled on the familiar shoulders of one Stephen Strange.

 

If it could shout with joy, it would have. The Cloak wrapped itself around Stephen, lifting him off the ground a couple feet. The sorcerer laughed a bit, stroking one of his hands across the relic’s fabric.

 

“It was a long five years, wasn’t it? Come on, it’s time to save the world- for real this time.”

 

“Excuse me! Hey, mister wizard! Doctor Strange!”

 

Stark’s child was waving frantically at them a few yards away. The Cloak lowered Stephen to the ground, and the man hurried to the boy. The Guardians were reappearing too, looking around in confusion.

 

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll make this quick. It’s been five years and they need us back on Earth. Let’s go.”  


Stephen opened several portals, sending each of them to different places. He strode through one, and they appeared in front of a very surprised (but admittedly very happy looking) Wong.

 

They embraced for a moment, and then Stephen spoke.

 

“It’s time. We need to go.”

 

Every master of the mystic arts that they could find was summoned. Hundreds of portals were opened, bringing people from all across the earth and universe, all to the same spot. The Avengers compound, where the final fight with Thanos was going down.

 

The battle was huge. Thanos had his own army, of course he did. The Cloak flared, anger filling every thread. This was the man who’d killed half the universe, who’d killed half the _Cloak’s_ universe.

 

“Avengers… assemble.”

 

In all of its many, many years, the Cloak had never seen such an event. Stephen spent a good part of the fight holding back a massive tower of water, but all over the battlefield, the Infinity Gauntlet was being passed from hand to hand. They were so, so close.

 

Stark wanted to know if they were going to win. Stephen was right not to tell him, of course, but the Cloak wanted to shout its answer.

 

_Yes,_ it wanted to say, _yes, we will, this is what was seen. But you will not like it, and Stephen does not want it to end like this, though it must. He knows it._

 

Finally, Stephen held up one trembling finger. This was it. This was the one out of fourteen million six hundred and five of all possible futures that they were going to win. All of this knowledge was passed to Stark with one simple gesture.

 

He did it. The Cloak wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, as it had different things on its mind, but it saw the aftermath. Thanos’s army was disappearing, turning to ash just like half of the universe had five years ago.

 

When the Titan himself was finally gone, the Cloak did feel rather vindictive. This was revenge, and it felt good. But it knew what the price of all of this was, and it would be a hard one to pay.

 

Stark’s child, his wife, (and his other child, his little girl) they didn’t deserve to lose him. Neither did his friends. It wasn’t fair. The Cloak curled a corner around Stephen’s wrist, seeking comfort. It was no stranger to pain, but pain and loss on this level was hard to witness.

 

The Cloak wasn’t allowed to attend the actual memorial service. It didn’t “go” with Stephen’s suit. So it sort of just drifted around the Stark house, watching.

 

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart, indeed.

 

_Thank you for your sacrifice. They will not forget you. Thank you for bringing my sorcerer back._

 

_Thank you._

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry I'm so behind on requests but I'm working on it and I've waited a year to write this... and it's late too. Enjoy anyways?


End file.
